Ever wondered why
franchise restaurants are so successful
in conducting business? It’s because they give more
importance to standardizing their menu portions. So, when
customers revisit, they can expect the same portion size at
the same price. This increases customer retention and
loyalty. Keeping portion sizes consistent can bring immense
benefits to your restaurant such as reducing the cost which
leads to an increase in profitability. Continue reading to
learn more about how you could keep your portion sizes
consistent, along with some tips and tricks that could be of
use.
According to
USDA’s recommendations
total intake of fat, saturated fat, calories, and sodium per
meal has expanded considerably over the century. Some
restaurants are known to increase the portion sizes with the
hope that customers would psychologically believe that they
are getting a larger meal, this is done to enhance the
perception of value for money. However, this can lead to
food going to waste which is equivalent to throwing money
down the drain. Having consistent portion sizes will help
restaurants to avoid unnecessary waste and expenditures.
Due to a variety of fixed expenditures such as wages, rent,
equipment, and utilities that must be paid regardless of the
number of customers served, restaurant profit margins become
tight. As a result, restaurants should figure out ways to
combat this and increase their revenue.
In today’s world, it is said that millennials are the
highest spending generation
that has spent over $1.4 trillion in 2020. This generation
gives attention to healthy options, local foods,
thriftiness, and sustainability. They don’t mind spending it
on a premium meal that is complemented with excellent
service. Millennial customers have, in fact, effectively
created a new kind of restaurant experience. So, getting
their eyes on your restaurant menu is vital for future
growth.
Find out how Applova can help you drive new customers
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In order to attract millennial and other generation
customers who are trying to follow a healthier lifestyle,
restaurants must serve more reasonable portions. Smaller
portions with consistency can help restaurants in a variety
of ways such as reducing cost, wastage, etc.
In this blog post, you'll learn what portion control in
restaurants is, why it's important, and how you can
implement it on-premise or online.
What is portion control in restaurants?
Portion control is a technique used for determining the
quantity of the dish and the number of ingredients to be
added when preparing meals before serving it to customers.
This will save time and money. Having standard portion
sizes in all your menu items
will reflect consistency
in terms of food taste, quality, and quantity, which leads
to customer satisfaction.
Customers love and are impressed when restaurants have
consistent portion sizes. Imagine this, if a customer
receives a 12-ounce steak during their first visit and an
8-ounce steak the next week or month for the exact price,
you can guarantee that they'll be upset.
Cut down cost by having portion controls in your
restaurant
Controlling portion sizes is important for keeping food
costs down. Even a minor serving mismatch might have an
impact on your profit margins. Many restaurants strive for
food costs to be between 28% and 35% percent of their
total income.
Still, thinking how you could have better portion control
for your restaurant?
It’s simple, just observe your customers how they eat, if
they are continuously unable to finish their entire meal
then that’s the first step you need to consider is
reducing your portion size and make sure this is reflected
in your digital menu.
Use appropriate kitchen utensils
You should also keep an eye on any quantity changes in
ingredients that are used when preparing meals. In order
to have accurate portion sizes try using proper tools and
equipment when preparing meals.
Carefully measure quantities of ingredients using
specialized kitchen equipment such as measuring cups,
spoons, scoops, scales and, portion cups, and remember to
closely follow the recipe to ensure consistency between
dishes.
Train your back of house kitchen staff
Your kitchen staff might be at different levels of
experience so, allocate time and effort to properly train
all your kitchen staff. Teach them about the importance of
following a consistent portion size, so that you could
avoid under portioning and over portioning. Employee
development of this sort can be easily overlooked but is
surely worth the effort. You will save a lot of money and
unused food that goes to waste. The values it brings to
the restaurant as a whole is limitless.
Reconsider your purchases
Your efforts to maintain consistent portion sizes don’t
happen only in the back-of-house kitchen of your
restaurant. It all starts at the beginning when you order
inventory from your supplier on a weekly basis. So, make
sure you order the appropriate products (in the exact
quantities) for the number of meals you'll be serving.
Consider purchasing partially prepared products
(pre-cooked bread). They may appear to be more costly on
paper, but they will save you money in terms of labor and
raw material storage.
Flex your consistent portion menu online
Now that you know how to save cost, reduce wastage, and
the importance of consistent menu potions, it’s time to
promote your dishes online. As you already know, customers
now order food online more frequently than ever. Over 90%
of guests research a restaurant online before dining, and
86% of diners
order delivery at least once a month and are most
satisfied with getting food delivered to their homes.
With more and more people constantly navigating through
their favorite restaurants’ social media pages. It’s time
for you to take advantage of this emerging trend with
frequent promotion of your digital menu across all social
media channels.
In order to do so, you need to showcase your uniqueness
through enticing product images and great food
descriptions through your digital QR menu.
Looking for a FREE Digital Menu that can do this?
Applova FREE QR Code Digital Menu offers you a
user-friendly interface that allows you to create,
customize and update your digital food menu in minutes.
You can also provide information on your portion sizes
with in-detail food descriptions, state all ingredients
being used, their volume, potion, weight, and more.
Applova Digital Menu also allows you to upload an
unlimited number of pictures of your dishes, so you don’t
just leave it to your customer’s imagination. Even get
creative by swapping backgrounds, color themes and even
upload your own logo.
Create your Digital Menu now, it’s totally FREE Forever.
So, what are you waiting for? Increase customer
engagement, retention rates, and go next-level digital.
Check out a
sample menu
here and
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